A Letter from Save the Med

As we write this, the world finds itself in an unprecedented situation of uncertainty and social distancing due to the outbreak of COVID-19. At the same time, we’re seeing how solidarity, union and love shared in the most creative of ways is connecting us, often unexpectedly deeper than we could have imagined. While all Save The Med’s field activities have been cancelled during the declared State of Emergency in Spain, the environmental issues we are working on to solve remain, as does our commitment towards the Mediterranean Sea and the future of our children.

During this crisis the office is closed and the STM team are keeping busy working remotely from home to:

Offer all schools that are scheduled for the Dos Manos School Programme digital resources that enable teachers and students to work participate in the the programme remotely.

Provide means for students who have enrolled, or wish to enrol in the Changemakers Project to continue working together with their teams and developing their projects from their homes.

Develop fun and engaging educational resources to be made available for the public, offering meaningful home based activities which can have a positive impact during and far beyond this period of social distancing.

Move all meetings and capacity trainings scheduled with our collaborators to online forums and postpone all scheduled public events.

Ensure the efficient continuity of all our project work through adaption and re-structuring.

Use this time for reflection and realignment, as in the middle of any chaos, there are silver linings to be found, along with possibilities for learning and growth on a personal level and that of our society as whole.

In the meantime we share with you some positives, given that it’s March and time for a Quarterly Update!

Marine Protected Areas

Over the last months, we've been conducting a pilot project to develop an electric monitoring tool that collects oceanographic data while assisting in the management of offshore MPAs where monitoring by boat constitutes a logistical and economic challenge. We recently installed our OASIS II EMS buoy in an underwater canyon near the Cabrera National Park. Check out our YouTube video of the deployment to learn more!

Community is key to the protection of natural sites and the Natural Park of Sa Dragonera provides a clear example of this. Through their love for the island, locals saved it from construction. Listen to the pioneers of the movement sharing their story in videos on our YouTube Channel.

Our Research vessel Toftevaag is ready for another year of expeditions and our 2020 expedition plan published on our website for anyone who's interested in joining us onboard!

Reduction of plastic pollution

Having developed a Single Use Plastic Index to compare polluting products to their alternatives, our “Plastic Free Balearics” team are now working together with 45 Partner Companies put into place tailor made Action Plans for the reduction of single use plastic items, and evaluate each step using the Index. Meanwhile, in February we celebrated our first coastal awareness and action event in Son Serra de Marina with over 80 participants who helped clean the beach, gather citizen science data, signed up for campaigns and participated in educational workshops! Over 800 students from 12 schools have already participated in the Dos Manos schools programme and The Changemakers Project 2020 has been launched, with students already working on projects to reduce plastic pollution! Thanks to OceanCare and Fundación Jesús Serra for supporting these projects!

Massive thanks to all who have participated in our projects and make up part of #GenerationSaveTheMed. If you want to learn more about Save The Med’s initiatives join us on social media @savethemed.

As this uncertain situation unfolds, we will keep you informed of any changes related to our work. In the meantime, we hope you all stay safe, supportive of and connected with one another as we all navigate through these challenging times together.

With all our love,

The STM - team